As used herein, a “variety pack” means a package containing at least two different varieties of a product or article.
Products typically are packaged together in single-variety packages. For example, soft drinks and other beverages are often packaged in single-variety packages of several individual beverage containers (e.g., a “six-pack” usually has six individual containers of a single beverage variety, a “case” usually has twenty-four individual containers of a single beverage variety). Accordingly, consumers who wish to purchase more than one type of soft drink (for example) must purchase at least two individual soft drinks, at least two six-packs or at least two cases.
Some products, including soft drinks, are re-packaged into variety packs. For example, beverage distributors are known to repackage beverages cases by removing beverages from single-variety cases, sorting and repackaging the beverages in variety pack packaging (variety packs). However, previous methods of repackaging multiple varieties of beverages have been inefficient, and apparatus used to automate these inefficient methods have been costly to build, maintain and operate.